April 2014 Issue no. 11
Broadsight (April 2014)
Nov 07, 2014
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April 2014Issue no. 11
Generic
InsightIndividual Social
Responsibility
Sustainability
C O N T E N T
SONGKRAN’s ROOT7-8
LABOUR MOVEMENT IN ASIA
ON THE COUCH WITH VALENTIN :12
14-18
>> p. 5-6
>> p. 12
>> p. 9-11
INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY :
BANGKOK VANGUARDS9-11
Bangkokvanguards (www.bangkokvanguards.com) was founded by David Pfizenmaier and Michael Biedaseek, two passionate travelers and explorers.
NEWS REPORT:
ASEAN NEWS4
BROADGATE:
21ST CENTURY INTERNSHIP5-6
Develoment News in ASEAN
Our 21st century economy presents considerable challenges to many: Hardest hit:
Labour movements are likely to increase due to the further integration of Southeast Asian countries in the ASEAN Economic Community.
Guest interview with Sebastian Leyland; Talking about NLP.
Often called ʻwater festivalʼ Songkran is the ancient New Yearʼs Day happening from 13th to 15th of April.
E D I T O R I A L
April 2014 - Issue no. 11
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E d i t o r i a l
Muhammad Farhan Azama
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Baptiste Laborde-Balen
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Valentin Fischer
Simon OsborneManaging Director
E D I T O R I A L
April 2014 - Issue no. 11
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Philippines - Crony capitalists did not disappear after the Marcos regime was deposed through People Power in 1986Source
BRUNEI- THE further reduction of the corporate tax for Bruneian companies in 2015 Source
INDONESIA - Indonesia’s raucous election season kicked off on Sunday with the promise of a fresh style of leadershipSource
MYANMAR - Burmese environmentalists and experts from the Mekong region are speaking out against degradation to watershed areas of the Irrawaddy RiverSource
E D I T O R I A L
April 2014 - Issue no. 11
Copyright © 2014 Broadsight - A Broadgate Initiative 5
Our 21st century economy presents considerable challenges to many: Hardest hit: the recent graduate struggling to find work among a sea of applicants; some with far more experience and industry knowledge.
In 21st Century Internships – How to get a job before graduation, Mr David Shindler and Mr Mark Babbitt take a non-nonsense look at the importance of internships to your early career; the development of soft skills that go well beyond what might have been learned in the classroom; and impact of hands-on experience on your ability to become highly employable.
The book described the one critical point, however, remains the same: an internship is hands-on, experiential training that enables the intern to apply learned theory to the real world.
INTERNSHIP
E D I T O R I A L
April 2014 - Issue no. 11
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Today, internships are typically for current students of higher education; often for school credit. In addition, recent graduates and young professionals with describe to gain experience also seek internships. Internships are unique opportunities to learn, grow and develop in-demand professional skills.
Source: www.BookBoon.com “21st Century Internships” (Authors David Shindler and Mark Babbitt)
if you want to download whole e-book please click 21st century internships or visit:
Asia Internship Programme
N E W S R E P O R T
April 2014 - Issue no. 11
Copyright © 2014 Broadsight - A Broadgate Initiative 7
Songkran is the most important feast for Thai people. Often called ʻwater festivalʼ Songkran is the ancient New Yearʼs Day happening from 13th to 15th of April.
Originally the date for Songkran was set by astrological calculations. Until 1888 it marked the beginning of new year in Thailand. The feast takes place during the hottest time of the year and marks the end of the dry season.
Songkran dates back many centuries and it is believed to be deduced from the Sankranti Hindu festival. The date is also tremendously convenient for many Thai people as it is the time of the year when farmers are free from routine duties.
People traditionally would greet each other by saying : ʻsawatdi pi maiʻ, basically „Happy New Year“ but nowadays most people use ʻsuk san wan songkranʼ which means „Happy Songkran Day.“
Songkran is the time when people scrupulously clean everything such as:
-Buddha statues-Their house-Their spirit
Songkran's Roots
S E Q U O I A C L U B
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Originally one poured water into the palms with the goal of bad actions and bad thoughts to flow away with the water. It is a way to purify oneself.
-At the temple people are pouring water, which has been cleaned by the monks, on Buddha statues.
-In the streets many people put Buddha statues on top of their cars and spray water on it to purify.
-In big cities like Bangkok or Chiang Mai the most honoured Buddha image is carried in a procession through the streets to an open place to sprinkle water on it to show oneʼs veneration.
Some people also free fishes or birds hoping that the animals will take away the bad luck from their liberators.
Another tradition is to build small pagodas called ʻPHRA CHEDI SAIʼ. For that reason Thais carry sand into the temples on the second day of Songkran festival. They believe that every time they visit a temple during the year they take away some sand on their feet. As it is monastic property they return the sand to the monks during Songkran.
Today the festival has partly degraded to a water splashing event. People on pick up trucks drive through the streets throwing ice water on sidewalkers and vehicles. This also attracts many foreigners to take part in the festivity.Songkran is traditionally a time to visit relatives and pay respect to elders. Thatʼs why many young people who live and work in Bangkok during the year go back to their families in the rural areas, since it is the longest holiday that most people get in a year.
Baptiste Laborde-Balen
F U N G A T E
March 2014 - Issue no. 10
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BANGKOK VANGUARDSBangkokvanguards (www.bangkokvanguards.com) was founded by David Pfizenmaier and Michael Biedaseek, two passionate travelers and explorers.
R O A D G A T E
It has rapidly grown to a large community of Thailand fanatics, passionate about connecting Thai people and visitors. Bangkokvanguards organizes excursions to the hidden secrets of Bangkok and stays in contact with many local communities.
“We try to combine the travel part and the volunteering”, says David.
Going deep behind the scenes and taking alternative paths is what theyʼre enthusiastic about. This approach has provided them with unique insights and knowledge of local communities and exceptional places.
Besides organizing adventurous tours, Bangkokvanguards organizes unconventional campaigns such as :
WIPE THE TIDE
SANTA CAUSE
ADD ONE
Car washing for a little donation
Visiting the slums with gifts to spread happiness
To add one additional item to your shopping basket to support the flood victims
WE GET ALOT OF LOVE AND DONATIONS FROM THE EXPAT COMMUNITY
“
“
Valentin Fischer
A promising project already in the pipline is called VLAB which stands for Vanguards Laboratory.
The idea is to make additional education opportunites for children available. VLAB is designed to improve childrenʼs english skills and social capabilities at the same time. The goal is to teach in a different way.
“They should have fun”, says David.
David seems to me very passionate about having a positive impact on society and in my opinion thatʼs a honorable attitude.
March 2014 - Issue no. 10
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ON THE COUCH WITH
Valentin
This monthʼs guest :
Sebastien Leblond Author, Speaker & Master Coach
A N A L Y S I S O F T H E M O N T H
April 2014 - Issue no. 11
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L A B O U R M O V E M E N TI N A S I A The purpose of this article is to provide an overview
regarding the movements of labour within Southeast Asia. Labour movements are likely to increase due to the further integration of Southeast Asian countries in the ASEAN Economic Community. Thatʼs why it remains an importent issue in the region. This article investigates the reasons for labour to move as well as the social impact it can have on society. From an economic perspective, labour mobility is very desirable because it helps to employ labour where it is most productive. However in reality the migrating workers have to overcome many difficult ies such as discrimination at the workplace and separation from their families.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the migration from India and China into Southeast Asia was one of the predominant forces shaping Asian globalization. Migration was largely unrestricted and led to the emergence of plural societies in the colonial countries (Kaur 2009). For example, Indians were brought into Malaysia to work on rubber plantations. And the tin miners in the country recruited the Chinese for doing the mining because the Malays didnʼt want to do it. (Christopher Bruton, Dataconsult)
Over the last decades Southeast Asia has re-emerged as a major player in global migration movements (Kaur 2009). In the 1970s and 1980s international migration increased dramatically. Most of the emigrants went to the US, Australia or the oil economies in the Middle East.
From the 1990s labour migration within Southeast Asia has experienced a rapid growth. Especially from less developed contries with a large labour surplus to the newly industrializing countries (NIC) in the region. The fast economic growth and declining fertility rates in the NIC increased their demand for labour (See graphics 1&2). However migration has not only facilitated economic growth but also disrupted many families.
Asian governments try to strictly control migration, which leads to immigrants having limited rights. While policy makers are open to temporary migration they try to prohibit family reunion.
March 2014 - Issue no. 10
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Des$na$on Countries Origin Countries
-‐ Malaysia -‐Philippines-‐Brunei -‐Indonesia-‐Singapore -‐Burma-‐Thailand -‐Thailand
F U N G A T E
February 2014 - Issue no. 9
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Reasons for increased interna$onal labour movements over the past decades
-‐increasing income differen:als between countries
-‐declining fer:lity rates in newly industrializing countries
-‐ending of major conflicts in the region
-‐lower financial costs of transporta:on and communica:on (see graphic 3)
Illegal Migra$on
Both the migra:on to the Gulf and within Asia is mostly organized by migrant agents and labour brokers. This is largely due to the unwillingness of the receiving countries to make agreements with the countries of origin. (hKp://www.migra:onpolicy.org/ar:cle/migra:on-‐asia-‐pacific-‐region)
A substan:al part of the migra:on is illegal. There are many individuals and organiza:ons that engage in smuggling and trafficing of workers. In the early 21st century, 6.1 million Asians were employed outside their
own countries within the Asian region, according to Australian demographer Graeme Hugo. He roughly es:mated the number of illegal migrants in Southeast Asian countries to be around 3.8 million.
According to the Interna:onal Organiza:on for Migra:on, Thailand itself hosts up to 1.7 million illegal workers, mainly from Burma and Cambodia.Most of them are occupied in so called 3D jobs (dirty, dangerous and demeaning).Because of their illegal status they are not protected by the Thai Labour Protec:on Act.
Therefore their working condi:ons are oZen very poor :
-‐unpaid over:me
-‐delayed wage payments
-‐no regular days off
Especially Cambodian workers oZen face discrimina:on at the workplace. Discrimina:on can occasionally manifest itself in terms of physical abuse (Walsh and Ty 2010). Illegal migra:on is oZen welcome because it can meet labour demands spontaneously and effec:vely.
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Labour Movements within Thailand
There are also big movements within Thailand. Christopher Bruton from Dataconsult stated that the inequality within Thailand doesn’t seem to improve. Instead of convergence we see divergence in income gaps. This drives even more people from the rural regions in Thailand to Bangkok.Because of the significant levels of internal migra:on, around 20 percent of Thai children are not living with their parents. This raises concerns over migra:on’s impact on the welfrae of children leZ behind (Thailand Migra:on Report, 2011).
Economic Theory :
-‐The impact of immigra:on on wages and employment depends on whether the skills of the immigrants are subs:tutes or complements to the local labour force.
-‐Labour movements can be beneficial for the origin country as well as for the des:na:on country. Why? In the origin country, the wages will rise as a result of
the decline in labour supply. In the des:na:on country, if the incoming workers complement the exis:ng work force the overall produc:vity of labour increases and wages will therefore rise.
-‐Immigra:on also rec:fies market failures that result from the uncertainty of output produc:on, which itself is the result of incomplete informa:on in the labour market.
-‐It is beneficial for an economic system when produc:on factors such as labour and capital are employed where they are most produc:ve.
F U N G A T E
Social Impact :
All over the world it can be observed that during an economic crisis, migrants get blamed for high unemployment rates and low wages. This can disrupt socie:es and put restric:ve labour laws in place.
AZer 1992 women migra:on began to outnumber men migra:on. The majority of them are employed in domes:c care and in the entertainment industry.
Many women in Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka are forced to move abroad to find jobs. Due to the inability to come up with collateral they cannot secure a loan which prevents them from engaging in small scale business.
While women labour migra:on has increased their status and augmented their decision-‐making power in the family, they face
tremendous challenges in playing the mother role.(UNESCAP 2008)
It has been found that Mother’s migra:on has a greater impact on family structure than father’s migra:on does. When men leave the family structure stays intact. But men oZen don’t take over the responsibili:es when their wifes leave, which can yield to a distrup:on in the family.
Women also tend to send a higher percentage of their income back home to their families than men do. A possible explana:on for this is that they tend to have stronger links with their families and therefore send money more regularily (Osaki, 1999: Global Comission on Interna:onal Migra:on 2005).
According to UNESCAP 2006 some leZ-‐behind children are said to develop,
psychological and social problems and are more likely to become juvenile delinquents. In the long run this can result in considerable costs for a society. Ins:tu:ons have to be created to prevent this from happening and ensure that the benfits of labour movements outweigh thes costs.
In conclusion we can say that many things are happening in Southeast Asia. It will remain a vibrant economic region. The upcoming ASEAN Economic Community will benefit the member countries and ensure a dynamic economic environment. Labour movements and it’s impact on the current and future genera:ons will certainly remain an important issue.
Valentin Fischer
March 2014 - Issue no. 10
Copyright © 2014 Broadsight - A Broadgate Initiative 20
F U N G A T E
The views and opinions expressed in this ar:cle are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official posi:on of The Broadgate Financial Group.
Broadgate Consultants (Thailand) Ltd.
2811, Level 28,The Offices at Central World,
999/9 Rama 1 Road, Patumwan, Bangkok
10330 Thailand
+66 2264 5706
+66 2646 1004
13.5.2014
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